Silvertongued Motives
by DhampyrX2
Summary: Some things about how Loki acted in both Thor and the Avengers had me thinking. Now I have the Avengers thinking about them too as Thor points out a difference in Asgardian culture to his comrades. And meanwhile, Loki is left to think. And to plan.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Silvertongued Motives

Author: DhampyrX2

Genre: Drama

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Don't sue me, I'm poor.

Summary: Some things about how Loki acted in both Thor and the Avengers had me thinking. Now I have the Avengers thinking about them too as Thor points out a difference in Asgardian culture to his comrades. And meanwhile, Loki is left to think. And to plan.

* * *

There were many things in Midgard that Thor did not understand. There were vast cultural differences between where he currently resided and his home in the Realm Eternal that did not always add up in his mind. One of those things was brought to his attention as he was relaxing with his fellow Avengers. He was sitting in the Room of Living at Stark's home with Steve, Natasha, Tony, and Clint as the news played on the television. As they watched and talked idly amongst themselves, a newscast was shown where a Midgardian thief was caught by the authorities, but instead of conceding defeat he took a leaded pipe and charged the police, forcing them to shoot him dead.

"Damned shame. Poor fool," Clint replied with a shake of his head at the obvious case of "suicide by cop."

"What is shameful about his actions? Although he was a thief, he chose to die honorably in battle did he not?" Thor asked with a look of confusion.

"It's not that simple, buddy. The guy was just giving up. He basically used the police to commit suicide. We call it "suicide by cop" nowadays," Tony tried to explain to the Asgardian.

"I do not understand what you mean, Son of Howard," Thor admitted with a pensive look.

"It is simple, Thor. The man was inadequately armed and knew he had no chance of escaping apprehension. For whatever reason, he did not want to face incarceration, and instead chose to attack the police knowing they would have to use deadly force in the act of defending themselves. He essentially used them as tools to help him kill himself," Black Widow explained.

"And it doesn't hurt that if the guy had any family, they'll try to sue the NYPD to get a hefty settlement out of the deal. Or at least that's how they tend to do things in California," Tony added with a snort as he went to make himself a scotch on the rocks.

"In Asgard, he would have been respected for having been willing to die fighting. It was that courage that allowed the Allfather to grant my brother a degree of clemency for his actions and avoid the worst of punishments for his crimes," Thor responded with a thoughtful look.

The other Avengers exchanged looks of varying degrees of shock as is to collectively say "_Whaa-_" before Steve finally asked, "How do you mean, Thor? How is this anything like Loki's actions?"

Thor's face was grim, and more than a little saddened as he replied, "Twice my brother has tried to end his own existence. Once when he released his grip on Gungir and allowed himself to fall from the Bifrost. The other was when he chose to stay and fight after we thwarted his invasion. He could have fled rather than face the Hulk. Or even used his sorcery to escape once he knew he could not defeat friend Bruce, but instead he chose to meet his end as a warrior. He did not expect Fury to spare him. Had the situation been reversed, the Allfather would not have spared someone from Midgard who had taken similar actions."

"Wait. You mean to tell me your brother, the psychotic megalomaniac, _**let us **_catch him as an elaborate way of committing suicide my cop?" Tony asked with a look of dumbfounded shock.

"We would refer to it as preferring a warrior's death, but the meaning is the same. It was a more honorable end than his first attempt, at any rate. I know our mother worries he may yet try again. It is hard to tell with Loki. You cannot always discern his intentions from his actions. Thus far he has been docile in his captivity," Thor explained.

"And I thought he was messed up when he just wanted to rule the world," Clint muttered, earning himself a violent elbow to the ribs from Natasha for his trouble.

"Have you spoken with Nicholas about your brother's intentions, Thor?" Black Widow asked after a pause.

"Nay. I did not think it was necessary. It seemed obvious to all that know my brother. Lady Sif herself stated that she did now know that Loki could stand in the face of annihilation like that without flinching. It restored some of the respect for him she had lost in the past," Thor responded. "Do you think I should inform him of Loki's intentions in the battle?"

"It might help if we ever see him again," Steve offered.

"Then I shall contact him and make arrangements to explain matters immediately," Thor replied before standing and making his way out of the room to use the phone in private to contact Fury.

"Anyone else kind of disturbed that we almost helped a god commit suicide without even knowing we were doing it?" Tony asked after a pause to allow Thor to get out of earshot. "Because all of a sudden, things like him taking the time to grandstand in front of us make way more sense and seem way creepier to me."

"It's like he was egging us on. Begging us to shoot him," Clint agreed with a grimace.

"Makes you wonder if he ever thought his invasion would succeed from the start? I mean, Thor did say he had tried once already and that was how he ended up here," Steve speculated with a furrowed brow.

The silence that followed was a tense one as the Avengers contemplated what might really be going through Loki's mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Nick fury looked less than pleased as he gave Thor something of a blank stare the next day after Thor explained what he understood of his brother's motivations. "Sorry, Thor. I'm just not buying it," the Director of SHIELD responded.

Thor looked genuinely confused as he replied, "I am selling nothing. These are our traditions. The other Avengers were insistent that I should inform you of them."

Nick stared Thor down for a moment before letting off a small sigh as he replied, "Did Stark or Banner ever explain surveillance video to you? Well, the crux of it is we take video of everything for security purposes and the Terraract was in a VERY secure location. And we made sure to recover the servers that held the security data from the wreckage of the collapsed portal. Would you like to see just how suicidal your dear little brother was when he showed up?"

Thor's face grew more and grimmer as he watched Loki's grand entrance. It was audacious and showy, much like his brother could be, but something was off throughout. Loki attacked without question. He ignored Fury's attempts to speak with him. Loki loved to talk. Convincing people to agree with him was practically his favorite hobby. He had mocked Thor for centuries for using a battle strategy of "hit it with Mjolnir and hope for the best" as an opening move. This… was not his brother. Not the one he was raised with. Not the one he fought beside. And suddenly, Loki's words out there in the forests of Germany took on a more sinister light.

"Freedom; freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart…" Loki purred on the screen with a mad glint in his eye.

"This is wrong. I was wrong. It is worse than I feared," Thor whispered to himself.

"What is it? Other than seeing just what kind of crazy is in Loki's head," Fury asked his lone remaining eye trained keenly on the troubled Asgadian's face.

"Loki's words. His actions. They are not those of my brother. There were signs before but I didn't put them together. I must contact Asgard. I fear matters are more dire than any of us suspected," Thor rambled.

"Thor. What is it? What did you see?" Fury asked again.

"Loki is a sorcerer, and as such he will always lead with his words. He would not lash out in violence when he could outwit his adversary. And my brother would never say something like that about freedom for he treasures his own above all else. He is best known for saying "I do what I want" when confronted over his behavior for good or ill. He thrives on chaos and conflict. This… he speaks of freedom as if it were a curse. These are not his words. Some of the things he said when I first confronted him seemed off, but this. Nay, there is deviltry afoot here and I fear Loki was as much a victim of it as Hawkeye or Eric," Thor explained with a scowl.

"What did he say to you that would make you think he wasn't in control of himself? Especially with the way he played everyone right until the end?" Fury asked, his expression suddenly far more interested than angry.

"Loki spoke of great mysteries and a great power that taught him how to harness the Tessaract. It is not knowledge that he could have gained for himself on Asgard. He spoke of being banished and having the throne stolen from when neither was true. We thought him dead until he reappeared on Earth, and he was the one to let go of Gungir to plunge to his supposed death. Father never banished him. All of Asgard _mourned_ his passing. And again, when I faced him the first time on Stark Tower, for a moment I saw my brother again in his eyes. There was shock and horror at what he was doing. Then he said it was too late and the madness seemed to take him again. And then… there is the staff," Thor replied with a scowl.

"The staff?" Fury asked.

"Although similar it was not Asgardian in design. And we could all see that it was a far cry from Chitauri weapons. Where did it come from? Who made it for my brother? Why would he rely on its power rather than his own? We saw how when he was upset that Bruce took hold of the accursed artifact in his agitation. I fear it may be more than a simple weapon," Thor explained.

Fury's face broke into a scowl as he recalled, "He used it to take over both Barton and Selvig."

"And now that I ponder it, both times I seemed to reach him for a moment it was not in his hand," Thor returned with equal concern.

"You do realize that even if your theory is right it might not change anything, right?" Fury asked after a pause.

"What do you mean, Fury?" Thor asked, unsure if he really wanted to hear what the one-eyed man would say.

"Assuming, and it's a huge assumption we're making here that would require serious proof for my bosses to even entertain it, but assuming Loki was altered the way the others were you can't think it will be as easy as a knock to the head to free him. If it was his fight with the Hulk would have done it. Or when Coulson put him through the wall with the energy rifle." Fury started.

The old soldier's face grew tired as he continued, "I've worked intelligence for a long time, Thor. I've had agents turn. Seen what was left after they were tortured or brainwashed into jumping sides. You don't always get them back. And even if you do it's not easy. Look at Barton. He still beats himself up over what he did under Loki's control. I don't think it would be that easy to take over your brother's mind. And if he was somehow fighting it where others didn't it could have been a different process. He was gone for months before your people found him making his deal with the Chitauri. If you were right at all with your first theory, there may be a reason Loki was hoping we would off him," Fury noted grimly.

"Aye, but I still must try to reach him. He is still my brother. Either way, steps must be taken," Thor responded.

Fury understood where the Thunderer was coming from. He would do the same if it was one of his own. Never mind the potential security nightmare of having an unknown Manchurian Candidate in your midst. "Go warn your folks, Thor. I'll fill the others in as part of a briefing later today and I'll have my people go over every bit of footage we have about Loki," Fury assured him.

"I am certain you are doing the latter already, my friend. After all, it is what Loki would advise me to do in your place," Thor replied with a bittersweet smile as he left the room.

As he existed, Nick didn't know whether to feel insulted or flattered by the comparison.


	3. Chapter 3

To say that the Avengers looked uncomfortable during their most recent briefing would be like saying the ocean was slightly wet. They were not at all happy to hear about what Director Fury and Thor had spoken of earlier in the day.

"And I thought Goldilocks talking about him being suicidal like it was a noble thing was messed up," Tony muttered loud enough to be heard by the rest of the room.

"We would have seen it. We're trained to see it," Natasha grumbled with a look that said she was not as certain of her words as she sounded.

Bruce looked at his hand, the hand that had held Loki's scepter and wondered how much of the "other guy's" rampage was related to the weapon. And if there was still a danger from it.

Clint winced. He hated Loki. He understood that. He could even pity him if Thor had been right. But this? If Loki had been in the same position or worse as compared to what was done to Selvig and himself then... God this was fucked up.

The only one that looked relatively composed over the matter was Steve, and that was mostly because he was too stunned to show the growing sickness in the pit of his stomach.

"Now I want to reiterate that this is all conjecture at this point. Thor's basing this on the fact that Loki was acting very different from what he knows about him, but that doesn't mean he's right. It's not like Loki hasn't played us all for saps before," Fury stressed with a detached look.

"Yeah, because it's not like the guy that spent centuries growing up next to Loki would have a better idea of what he should be acting like. Or would understand all the little cultural cues that seem downright alien to the rest of us because, y'know, they are, or anything. I mean, Thor thought suicide by cop was a _good_ thing. How do you wrap your head around a society where that's normal?" Tony grumbled.

"Ask someone who is Japanese. Hara-kiri is based on a similar principle. Death before dishonor," Natasha responded idly, her face deep in thought. The way he seemed to switch between smooth and bloodthirsty in their interview had been off-putting. She had chalked it up to Loki being an insane megalomaniac. Had she really read the situation that poorly?

"Where is the staff right now? We didn't send it back with Thor and Loki. Is it secure?" Bruce asked, his mouth suddenly dry.

"We've had it moved to a more secure location, and after the briefing I'll want everyone that has been in contact with it to be looked over by the medical staff again," Nick assured him.

"Which basically means only you and Cap don't have to stay after class," Hawkeye quipped with a scowl.

"Well, in all fairness, all he touched with me was my arc reactor housing. And he was having performance issues at the time," Tony interjected with a smirk.

"Sir, if Loki was under another's control, what do we do?" Steve asked, ignoring the by-play between Clint and Tony.

"That's the million dollar question, Steve. Thor has returned to Asgard to warn them that Loki might still be compromised. If he is, for now it will be up to them to handle him. And to find out just who might be pulling the strings," Fury noted grimly.

"Is that a good idea? I mean, keeping Loki and the tessaract in the same place if he was supposed to deliver it to a bigger bad in the food chain?" Tony asked.

Nick did not have a response ready for that question.

* * *

In a dark cell in the dungeons of the Royal Palace Loki sat unmoving, his face pulled into an unnatural grin. These fools surrounding him would never understand the truths the tessaract bestowed. He had finally seen the truth of all things. Seen the lies he had told himself all his life. And soon, he would break those lies for all of Asgard as they had been broken for him.

And somewhere deep within him, deeper than the Chitauri could reach; deeper than even their master could delve, Loki screamed. He screamed and hoped for deliverance. He hoped Thor would save him. Sometimes he hoped that Thor would destroy him.

But even there in the deepest depths of his mind, it was only Thor he called out for. He had lost faith in Odin to care for his second son- no. His private war trophy. Neither Odin nor Frigga truly cared for him. Nobody in the Realm Eternal did except for Thor.

And even Thor's good grace was becoming harder to picture in his increasingly isolated mind.

* * *

"I did not expect you back so soon, my son," Odin commented as he looked at the kneeling from of Thor before him.

"Father, has Heimdall kept you and mother informed of events on Midgard?" Thor asked without preamble.

"Aye," Odin acknowledged with a trouble look. "Come. We will speak of this in our private chambers," he commended as he rose from his throne.

It was only when the trio of Thor, Frigga, and Odin were well away from prying ears that the Allfather did speak again. "It was troubling new Heimdall brought of your meeting with the Man of Fury, my son."

"Thor, do you think it is possible?" Frigga asked. Her heart was still heavy at the sight of her youngest son bound in chains like a common criminal. The first thing he had done when Thor had brought him back to face the consequences for his actions was to denounce Odin and herself. That single act had hurt the Queen more than any physical blow could have. The look in his eye as he spat they he was no child of Odin was so hateful and maddened that she feared there was nothing left of her little boy. Now, to discover that it may have been something done to him deliberately. Well, if it were true, there would be Hel to pay.

"At best, his actions here in Asgard were still his own. We must not forget that," Odin argued gruffly.

"And can you blame him? You reveal something that makes his whole life seem a lie then fall into the Odinsleep before you can truly explain things. You leave him with a throne he never wanted and was not prepared for than then scold him for losing his way?" Frigga challenged. It was something she would only do when the family was truly alone. But she had seen enough of Odin's attitude toward their son. And Loki was still theirs no matter where he had been born.

"I cannot deny that mistakes were made, wife. There was not a day that has passed since that day on the Bifrost that I do not wish I had been more careful with my words. That I could have called Loki back from the despair and madness that had taken him. But what's done is done. We must content with that is, and not with the past," Odin responded.

"Allfather, do you have any idea who could have put these poisonous thoughts in Loki's head?" Thor asked.

If possible, Odin's face grew even grimmer as he replied, "There is one who once sought the tessaract. A being of unimaginable power and malice. One that was said to court Death itself as a consort. It was only through an alliance of the most powerful in the Nine Realms that he was bested. In fact, his cursed glove rests in the Vault now between the tessaract and the Casket of Ancient Winters."

"Who is this being? Why have I not heard of him?" Thor asked.

"He was bested long before you or Loki was born, my son. And at a terrible price. There are some monsters you dare not name for fear they still linger in the shadows waiting to leap out at you. The master of the Infinity Gauntlet was such as monster. But, because you have asked, and because I fear he may be once more lurking in darkness again, I will tell you. He is called Thanos. And I pray that we are wrong and he has not corrupted Loki's mind. For that may be a fate worse than any we could imagine," Odin warned.


End file.
